- Enigma --“The Screen Behind the Mirror”
哪位音乐行家来谈谈？
ENIGMA'S HISTORY
Enigma is not a band it is a one man project created by Michael Cretu. Cretu once stated in an interview that "95% of Enigma is a one man band". At the end of 1990 in a virgin press release Michael Cretu stated "Old rules and habits have to be rejected and dismissed so that something new can be created." Thus, he created Enigma. When Cretu released MCMXC a.D. he wished to remain anonymous. In a billboard article Cretu stated "with Enigma I have created a complete piece of music that i wanted to stand alone. There is a sence of mystery in the music that I wanted to leave untouched by the preceptions and preconceived ideas that came with the past history of a producer or a song writer." The above statement shows the reason why cretu wanted to remain mysterious and why he wanted the people involved with Enigma, including himself, to remain unknowen. For the credits on Enigma's first album each of the artist's used an alias as their name. Michael Cretu's alias was Curly M.C., Frank Peterson.s alias was F. Gregorian, David Fairsten had no alias and Sandra and Louisa Stanily where not credited at all.
This was part of Michael Cretu's plan for the Enigma project where the mystery was kept through the listener just knowing the music and not knowing about the artists and their personal life. Cretu once stated "The music is the star, not me". Curious journlist wondering about the idenity of the artist behind MCMXC a.D. suggested artists like Mike Oldfield, alan Parsons and others. But it wasn't until a lawsuit for supposed plagerism. of the idea of mixing Gregorian chants with hip-hop beatsm was filed that the true artist. Michael Cretu, was revealed. Cretu won this cas and cleared his name.
But, yet another lawsuit was filed agenst Cretu and virgin Germany in Auguest of 1991 by the Munish, Germany based Gregorina choir called Kapelle Antiqua who sued claiming that Cretu had used samples of their recordings without permission in Sadeness pt 1 and Meaculpa. The group sued claiming "Cretu had infringed its 'right of personality' by distorting thair recordings sampled in Mea culpa abd Sadeness pt 1 album tracks and singles" Kapelle Antiqua demanded a written apology as well as financial compensation. Cretu and Virgin Germany agreed to pay compensation for samples used in MCMXC a.D and settled out of court with polydor and BMG/ariola for an undisclosed sum. Virgin Germany went on to aquire authorisation for the use of the Polydor and BMG/ariola and officialy apolgised to the origional artists. But it is also a fact that there actualy was no copyright infringement in this case, since the Kapelle Antiqua recordings where in the public domain. After all these incidents Michael Cretu no longer needed to hide his idenity because the public now knew who the creater of Enigma was. So, on all the Enigma albums after MCMXC a.D he put real names for the credits.
The case with Kapelle Antiqua was not the end of the legal troubles with Enigma. Kuo Yin-Nan,80, and his wife Kuo Hsiu-Chu, members of the Ami Aborigine tribe located in eastern Taiwan, filed a copyright infringement suit in the U.S. agenst "Enigma" and related U.S. and German music companies. They charged Michael Cretu and related companies with unauthorized use of their tribal "Jubilant drinking song" that they recorded in a cappella around 1978 or 1979 for cultural perservation purposes. Upon the settlement of the lawsuit it was stated that the Kuo's would be given full attributtion for thair contribution to Return to Innocence, including liniar notes on all future releases featuring their work. It was also stated that the Kue's will receive platinum copies of The Cross of Changes and that futher terms fo the settlement where confidential.
On June 23, 1999 Virgin Records and Mr. and Mrs Kuo released this statement to the press: "Virgin Records America and Kuo Ying-Nan and Kuo Hsin-Chu... are pleased to announce that they have settled all disputes between them. Virgin Records America thanks the Kuo's for the impurtant contirbution that thair arrangement and performence of the vocal chant "Jubilant Drinking Song" made to the song Return to Innocence."
For more information on the Return to Innocenc lawsuit Click Here to view the lawsuit magizine articles.
http://www.geocities.com/enigma_monk/historyenigma.html
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